Nine facts about Travis Tritt

Thursday

Jan 9, 2014 at 10:00 AM

Country legend Travis Tritt to perform unplugged show at Palace Theatre

Dan Kane CantonRep.com entertainment editor @DKaneREP

Since the 1989 release of his first single, "Country Club," Georgia native Travis Tritt has scored a long string of country hits, sold more than 25 million albums and scored two Grammys and four CMA awards. On Jan. 17, he'll take the stage at Canton's Palace Theatre for an intimate solo acoustic concert. Here's eight facts you might not know about Tritt, and his responses to us bringing them up.

1. For three years, he's regularly been playing solo acoustic concerts, just voice and guitar.

"For years, I had booking agents and management people ask me about doing an acoustic show. For some reason, I always thought nobody is going to want to hear a guy like me sit down and play acoustic guitar and sing for two hours. I thought you needed that crutch of having a full band around you creating that excitement.

"But the response to these shows has been phenomenal. I enjoy the opportunity to educate people more about me personally, and where my music comes from and who I was influenced by. It's like my living room, that concert stage. And people are always telling me 'I didn't know you were that good of a musician' or 'that good of a vocalist."

2. He recently turned 50.

"I'm actually about to turn 51 on Feb. 9. It's just a number. I'm still 25 in my head. That fact that I've reached this milestone is kind of a source of pride for me. Everybody wants a career with some longevity to it. When I first got in the business and it was so competitive, I'd hope and pray to have a career that would last five years. So many people come on the scene and can't survive."

3. He was part of Nashville's Class of '89, alongside Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Clint Black and Vince Gill.

"And we're all still out there doing it!" he said with a chuckle. "I stood out like a sore thumb. All those guys were clean cut and a lot wore cowboy hats. I wore a lot of leather and had hair down almost to my waist."

4. At first, Tritt was considered by many to be too rock 'n' roll for country music.

"Everybody thought I put that whole thing on as a kind of bad-boy image but nothing could've been further from the truth. I'd played biker bars and pool halls and some pretty rough joints over the years. I was simply a product of the places I'd come from. I'd been riding a Harley-Davidson for years before I came to Nashville."

5. He performed at his dear friend George Jones' memorial service at the Grand Ole Opry in May.

"George was one of the first people I met when I came to Nashville, and he played a bunch of shows with me throughout the years. Every time you got around him you couldn't help but smile. There was always a joke he wanted to tell you.

"I remember the first time he met my mom. I was doing as Christmas concert in Atlanta and George was opening the show for me. I had a reputation for being an outlaw, and George said, 'Mrs. Tritt, listen, don't worry about that boy of yours. You know I've been known to be kind of rough and rowdy myself over the years, and everything's going to turn out right.' I miss him every day."

6. He also was friends with Johnny Cash.

"John was always bigger than life to me. Marty Stuart introduced me to John and he was one of those people who made my knees quiver when I met him. We hit it off, we really connected and he basically took me under his wing. He taught me so much about what it means to be an artist in this business.

"When he passed away, I went to my office and found a stack of letters John had written me in his own handwriting, and I read those letters realizing how much wisdom I was able to attain learning at his feet."

7. His daughter Tyler Reese Tritt, 15, also sings, and duetted with Tritt on his single "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough," released last Father's Day.

"She's been singing as far back as I can remember. All my kids are extremely talented — they all sing and all play instruments — but she has seemed to have the most interest in pursuing it as a career. I took her on a few band dates last year and she just floors people with how big a voice comes out of that small body."

8. Tritt's latest album, "The Calm After ...," was produced by Randy Jackson of "American Idol" fame, whom he met while recording a duet with Sam Moore of Sam & Dave.

"When I came out of the vocal booth, Randy — who was producing — had this sort of mouth-open, puzzled look on his face. I thought I'd done something wrong.

"Randy said, 'Man, I've been a Travis Tritt fan since the beginning but I never had any idea you had that blue-eyed soul in you. If you ever want to do an album that showcases that sound, let me know.' "

9. His shows attract all ages.

"My audience demo seems to go from 8 to 80," he said proudly. "The only reason I can give for a lot of the younger faces is they grew up listening to my music because their parents listened. A lot of young people say, 'Country is too twangy for me.' But the music I was doing when I was first coming out had more of a Southern-rock influence to it, and without a doubt that's one of the things that bridged the generation gap. It wasn't too twangy for the younger kids to enjoy."

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